


A New Take on an Old Arrangement

by Ash_and_Ember



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fluff, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Marriage Proposal, The Arrangement (Good Omens), idiots to lovers, ineffable dumbasses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 13:22:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18829516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ash_and_Ember/pseuds/Ash_and_Ember
Summary: When gay marriage is legalized in England, Crowley sees it as an opportunity, and Aziraphale, the dear, is entirely oblivious





	A New Take on an Old Arrangement

_London, 2013_

__The sun was shining off the ducks in St. James park one day in July. Two men, or at least man-shaped beings sat on a blanket by the edge of the pond, one reading a book, the other staring off into space. Despite the beautiful weather and tense political climate that normally would have driven crowds, this part of the park was empty._ _

__The one who had been staring into space turned to face his companion. “Did you hear the news yesterday, angel?”_ _

__“Yes, I quite agree Crowley,” replied Aziraphale without even looking up from his book._ _

__Oh go– no, da– no, somebody inconvenience this, thought Crowley. This conversation was going to be a lot harder than he’d imagined. Just once in 6000 years, he’d like to have a straightforward conversation about his feelings. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He put his hand on top over the open pages of the book._ _

__Aziraphale looked up, murder in his angelic eyes. “What are you playing at, Crowley?”_ _

__“I’m trying to have a conversation,” Crowley said, and took his hand off the book before Aziraphale could smite it. “So I asked if you’d heard the news yesterday.” A flush was climbing his dark complexioned face. Talking about personal things was not something demons did._ _

__“Oh, alright then.” Aziraphale put his book down gently. “What day was yesterday?”_ _

__Crowley sighed. “Tuesday.”_ _

__“Really? Sorry, my dear, I’ve completely lost track of the days. What happened?”_ _

__Crowley cleared his throat. “England, er that is to say, Parliament, has legalized marriage. Y’know, for same-sex couples.” He very pointedly did not look at Aziraphale._ _

__“Oh, that’s fantastic news! I’ve been trying to convince people for centuries that queer people aren’t any different from ‘normal’ and they really should be treated just like everyone else. But once the Church gets an idea, they won’t let go.”_ _

__“My side has no opinion on the matter. As long as it’s a healthy relationship, they want nothing to do with it.”_ _

__Aziraphale’s expression shone as brightly as the sun. “This is going to make so many people happy,” he said._ _

__Crowley took a deep breath. He had practically been handed this opportunity on a silver platter. He closed his hand tightly around the ring in his jacket pocket. “We can be included in that happiness, angel,” he turned to face his partner. “We’ve basically been a married couple since the 13th century, if only in our own view, not in the eyes of the law or the Church.” Crowley took his hand out of his pocket and ahd it open palm up, the ring glinting in the space between their bodies. “Aziraphale, will you marry me?”_ _

__Aziraphale looked back and forth between the ring and Crowley’s open, honest, face. He began to laugh. It started quietly, and then became increasingly frantic and loud. Crowley looked like he might cry._ _

__Aziraphale stopped laughing. “Oh, you’re serious, my dear.”_ _

__Crowley closed his hand. “Or course I’m serioussss,” he hissed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”_ _

__“I– I don’t know!” he said desperately. “We’re enemies?”_ _

__Crowley gave a humourless laugh. “Enemies? We haven’t been enemies since the fall of the Roman Empire! What did you think our dinners at the Ritz were, if not dates?_ _

__“I thought it was nice to get dinner with my friend!” Aziraphale looked increasingly panicked. “Besides, we can’t be a couple, we don’t live together.”_ _

__Crowley stood up and jammed a hand into his hair. “How much of my stuff is in the backroom of your bookshop? Just because I have an apartment doesn’t mean that it’s home.” Aziraphale still looked like he had been asked to do differential calculus blindfolded, so Crowley tried a new tactic. “Think of all the trappings of romance and couples in your books,” he said to the distraught angel. “How much of that can be applied to us?”_ _

__Aziraphale opened his mouth, then promptly shut it. Someone who hand just been hit in the face with a frying pan while being struck by lightning would have had the same expression._ _

__“You see?” asked Crowley triumphantly._ _

__“My dear,” began Aziraphale, “How did I not notice sooner?” He stood so he was face to face with the world’s least demonic demon._ _

__“As an angel, I really thought you would’ve understood love better,” quipped Crowley, who was still shaking from nerves and adrenaline._ _

__“It seems so obvious now, my love.”_ _

__Crowley’s breath caught in his chest. “Does that mean you will do the honor of marrying me?”_ _

__Aziraphale gently took Crowley’s hand. “Yes, yes I will my love.”_ _

__On a sunny day in July, by the banks of the duck pond in St. James Park, and angel and a demon completed a piece of ineffable business six thousand years in the making. The deal was sealed not with the exchanging of black briefcases as was common in this place, but with a ring and a kiss._ _

**Author's Note:**

> listen I only did' the barest amount of research into how marriage equality happened in England because I just wanted to write something cute


End file.
